1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for managing the security policy of data stored in each of a plurality of storage areas and a data management method in the apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A digital multifunction peripheral with the functions of a copying machine, scanner, and facsimile apparatus has a bulk storage unit formed from, for example, a hard disk to store document files. Such a storage unit has a plurality of storage areas called boxes. Security (settings about each user's access authorization and operation authorization for, e.g., read, write, editing, and printing) is set for each box, thereby ensuring the security of documents in it (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-346366). This security setting is called security policy.
As another method of managing access authorization to document files, operation of systems such as Adobe Policy Server to centralize security policy management to a server is beginning.
In the above-described prior art, however, a server must manage all security policies of an enormous number of document files. Every time a document file operation request is issued, access to the server occurs, increasing the load on the server. If a system operates only in the closed environment of a specific group, there may be a need to easily manage security policies based on the operation policy of the group. To send data from a specific group to a device outside the group, the security should reliably be managed under the management of a server such as the Adobe Policy Server capable of managing the security policy of each file. In this case, another demand also arises to change the security policy of each file that is sent to the external device under the management of the Adobe Policy Server in accordance with a change in the operation policy in the specific group.